Being cynical and being a cynic are two very different things. The former is an attitude or opinion, the latter is a condition. Of course, all cynics are cynical. But being cynical does not necessarily make one a cynic. Because we live in a fallen world, populated by sinners and charlatains, a certain degree of [...]
I left the ministry in August 1997. As you’d expect, it’s a long story. No, I didn’t get caught pilfering money, frolicking with the church secretary or faking miracles. But a number of forces converged that made my exit understandable, if not necessary. I enjoyed teaching and had a distinct sense that God was with [...]
You already know that Pirates of the Caribbean is one of the most anticipated films of the summer. I wasn’t that impressed with the first one and, despite the frenzy, have been only mildly interested in seeing Dead Man’s Chest. Until I saw the poster of this fella. In the film, it’s Davy Jones, captain [...]
With his new novel, Waking Lazarus, poised in the chutes, I’m hoping Tony Hines will finally give up his day job as Spaghetti Cutter for Chef Boy-ar-Dee. When he’s not meandering through Montana cemeteries, he’s comandeering the juggernaut that is TLHines.com. Recently, the near-feral staff of Decompose gang-tackled Tony and threatened to paint his toenails [...]
It’s pushing 100 degrees in my neck of the woods, which means it’s Summer. And with the heat, come the annual beach reading lists. The Wichita Eagle recently interviewed Sarah Bagby to pick her brain regarding her selections for summer fare. Bagby, co-owner of Watermark Books & Cafe in Wichita, suggests there are several types [...]
It’s whale sperm dermo-care for the metro-man. No, that’s not me under the facial mask. But, according to a new survey, I’m dangerously close. Wikipedia defines “metrosexual” this way: …the trait of an urban male of any sexual orientation who has a strong aesthetic sense and spends a great amount of time and money on [...]
One of the local sports talk programs, ESPN Radio 710, recently discussed religion in sports. The piece sprung out of news about NASCAR’s newest sponsor: Dianetics. The Charlotte Observer reported: Racin’ fans, brace yourselves for some couch-jumping news: Scientology is ridin’ shotgun. A No. 27 red Taurus emblazoned with “DIANETICS” and featuring the volcano from [...]
In 1976, Gerald Ford was president, the U.S. celebrated its bicen – tennial, 50 Cent was born and the Pittsburgh Steelers won Superbowl X. But more importantly, I graduated high school. Barely. As Fate would have it, 30 years later, my fourth and final child also graduated. Alayna Michelle Duran. Isn’t she a beauty? She [...]
Welcome to the world of Well — Chris Well, that is. It’s a wild world, indeed, filled with cops and robbers, comics and cinema, views and interviews. He calls it Learning Curve, but it’s a bit more like a pop culture infobahn. Between penning his wildly popular new book, Deliver Us from Evelyn, being a [...]
Hitting the bookstands, somewhere in the UK, is the second-ever edition of Forgotten Worlds. It’s a new, semi-professional, speculative fiction print mag, and here’s the line-up for the latest edition. The Verbpire by Fredrick Obermeyer Drawback by Michael Cregan A Handful Of Dust by Ruth Nestvold Frostbyte by Lisa Mantchev Of All The Things I’ve [...]
